The Tribune

By MICHELLE M MILLER

Many of us spend countless hours pondering what do to about various situations in our lives. What kind of jobs or careers we should pursue, whether or not to start a family or where we should live.

And beneath those choices you have another set to be regularly made--like what you will eat, what you will wear or even which route to take. You live through your choices.

I believe that the second ‘c’ in the word choices stands for consequences and life becomes a tapestry of your choices and inherent consequences.

But how do you make choices? What process do you use and how much consideration do you give to the consequences before hand?

I am convinced that the key to making quality choices is quality information, which is a often a major challenge because many are uninformed or misinformed. Without quality information, you cannot weigh the pros and cons and are left vulnerable to possible adverse consequences.

Herein lies the point behind looking before you leap. It is an old saying from the fable about the fox who was unable to climb out of a well and persuaded the goat to jump in.

When the goat jumped in, the fox climbs on top of the goat’s horns to get himself out, leaving the poor goat trapped in the well.

The fox trick worked because the goat simply did not think before he leaped into the well. Like the goat, without thinking, you may make choices that leave you stuck in a well.

Also germane to looking before you leap is the role of your emotions. We are typically emotional first and rationale second.

As such, when it comes to making choices, people’s emotions often take the lead and emotionally charged decisions are usually devoid of critical thinking and seldom produce positive outcomes.

The question is: are you prepared for the consequences of your decisions and the impact they have on the emotions of fear, anger, hurt, jealousy or resentment? Today, many are occupying prison cells, living with addiction or trapped in unhappy situations. All of which are the consequences of emotionally led choices.

The truth of the matter is we sometimes make ‘poor’ choices because we lack the capacity to think before we act. Let us be clear, every choice produces a result. Another reason people make poor choices is because they are often poorly informed. You must get your information right – before you can get your choices right.

The goal must be to make choices that improve your chances of a positive outcome. A good strategy is to control your emotions and contemplate what kind of results you desire to achieve.

Ultimately, people who are accountable think not only about the immediate effect of their choices; but the long term consequences before they act. They accept responsibility for the consequences and the ensuing domino effect it may have on their lives and that of their children.

Today, take the lead and look before you leap. Focus on making fearless choices that uplifts the community, improves the society and positively inspires the hopes and dreams of our children. Now is the perfect time shift your life paradigm.

Michelle M. Miller is a certified Life-Coach, Leadership Expert and Author of Take The Lead. She is the CEO of TTL Coaching Strategies and founder of the Girls Leadership Coaching Club. Questions or comments can be sent to coaching242@yahoo.com, 429-6770, or visit www.taketheleadbook.com.